I just finished reading Cormac McCarthy's The Road, which was nothing short of amazing. I've also read Max Brooks' World War Z, which was also good.

Could I get some recommendations for other great post-apocalyptic literature, please?

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr.

It's an excellent book looking at three periods in the thousand years following an atomic war. I need to get my hands on the sequel.

The Stand, by Stephen King is a classic, if you've got enough time on your hands.

Thank you, Mr. Donner. I've heard of that book, too.

And thank you as well, Mr. Mecklo. I'm an enormous Stephen King fan (he's my idol), yet I haven't read that one just yet.

It's not a novel, but the manga of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is incredibly well done and in my opinion it's certainly literature-quality writing. If you've enjoyed the movie this far exceeds it.

You could check out some of the books http://listverse.com/2009/02/12/10-great-post-apocalyptic-science-fiction-novels/ as well.

The novel "The Passage" by Justin Cronin, though somehow I couldn't accept the novel completely (its spiritual underpinning). It's a postapocalyptic vampire novel.

It's one of King's best, you should definitely read it. Ties in quite nicely with the Dark Tower series as well (which is in a way also post-apocalyptic, but I guess you read those already). Don't think I know any other post-apocalyptic literature, I came in to recommend The Stand as well

Thanks, everyone!

@ Medivh - Yes, I've certainly read The Dark Series.

Deathlands

One of the books I'd suggest is on the list that abundi mecklo linked to:

"Earth Abides" written by George R. Stewart. Wonderful book, and one I've read over and over.

The other one that springs to mind is "Roadside Picnic" written by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. A little odder maybe, and quite short, but brimming with ideas.

Both of them were re-released over here in the UK a couple of years ago, under the SF Masterworks banner, don't know if they were in the USA as well. If you see them though, they're both well worth a read.

The final one, and probably my favourite (though a lot harder to get over here, might be easy over there) is "Damnation Alley" written by Roger Zelazny. Great fun, and you can see how Carpenter's "Escape From New York" (and LA) were influenced by it.

On top of the ones people have already mentioned, that should keep you busy for a bit

Thanks, guys.

And it's good to see you again, Burntsierra! It's been a loooooong time.

One of my favorite novels is mentioned by Hungry Donner above, http://www.amazon.com/Canticle-Leibowitz-Walter-Miller-Jr/dp/0060892994/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305228939&sr=1-1.

Set 600 years after a nuclear holocaust, the world is deep in a centuries-long dark age resulting from a violent backlash against technology called the "Simplification." Illiteracy is almost universal since anyone who could read was killed by mobs and only a handful of books have survived. An order of Christian monks founded by a military officer (who happened to be a Jewish guy named Leibowitz) shortly following the war, has kept alive the flame of reading and a secret cache of books painstakingly copied by hand in their abbey in the desert.

Another must read is http://www.amazon.com/Wastelands-Apocalypse-John-Joseph-Adams/dp/1597801054/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305229188&sr=1-1. It's an excellent collection of PA short stories

Another favorite: http://www.amazon.com/City-Illusions-Ursula-K-Guin/dp/0441107087
Not your typical post-apocalyptic story, set many thousands of years in the future, on an Earth where some humans have retained advanced technology but most are forced to live in small tribes, oppressed by a mysterious group that prevents any attempts to rebuild civilization outside of their own city. In this world, an unconscious man with very strange eyes is discovered by the member of one of these small clans. When he wakes up, he has no memory of who he is or how he arrived. Some cool plot twists in this one.

A few more suggestions:
http://www.amazon.com/Stand-Expanded-First-Complete-Signet/dp/0451169530/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305228959&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Eater-Gregory-Benford/dp/0380790564
http://www.amazon.com/Postman-Bantam-Classics-David-Brin/dp/0553278746/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305228980&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Tower-Boxed-Set-Books/dp/0451211243/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305229003&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/World-War-Oral-History-Zombie/dp/0307346617/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305229028&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Blindness-Movie-Tie--Jose-Saramago/dp/0156035588/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305229047&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Swan-Song-Robert-McCammon/dp/1439156735/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1
http://www.amazon.com/Alas-Babylon-Pat-Frank/dp/0060741872/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305229091&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Strain-Trilogy-Guillermo-Del-Toro/dp/0061558249/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305229109&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/I-Am-Legend-Richard-Matheson/dp/0765318741/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305229130&sr=1-1

Blindness by José Saramago, it's really well written, its sorta like a bible story set in an unnamed modern day city and may make you well, take a fresh look at your life.

You guys rock.

If you are interested in war settings, and not adverse to having to read 29 books(about 200 or so pages per), I highly recommend "The Survivalist" series by Jerry Ahern. Awesome series, and while it takes a while to read, it's good from start to finish.

Yeaaaaah... I'll probably have to hold out on something that large. Ha! Thanks for the suggestion, though.

Can always just buy the first book or two and see if you like it. They can be found on Ebay or Amazon dirt cheap, or even at most used bookstores. Depending on how you look at it, the first two books lead up to the apocalypse, the next 5-6 are during the apocalypse, and all books after that are AFTER the apocalypse, with several books spent trying to desperately prevent ANOTHER Apocalypse. Think "Cold war Tensions actually erupt into Nuclear strikes", leading into "As the world reels from the Nuclear strikes, more politics and fighting are going on", lead into "Oh noes, the Nuclear strikes have done something terrible to the world, entire world is about to burst into flame" leading into "500 years later, the world is starting to recover, but still a bit frail. Somehow, evil still exists", leading into "Evil must be stopped, once and for all".

It sounds really interesting. 200 pages also isn't very long. I'm sure I'll read a few, at least the first one. Thanks again.

The squeal doesn't really hold a candle to the first - the appeal just isn't there. Worth a read just for the sake of having completed it but nothing special compared to the first.


I love this series.

alas Babylon
the compound
the hunger games
the road

I forgot about this one, it's really good.



I didn't think anyone else here read them. It's by far my favorite book series

Those novels are so hard to find.

Amazon?

Deathlands? I have so many of them, at least 60. My wife uses the books as gifts, she gives me 3-4 at a time but she won't tell me where she get them